Alien Consequences
by Liselle129
Summary: This is an idea of what might have happened after Mad Dogs and Aliens, focusing on how Drakken and Shego were able to work together again. Chapter 5: Absence and Acceptance. Drakken and Shego make use of their time apart as they prepare to move. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible or have any claim to it.

Author's Note: Of all the things I thought might inspire me after completing my last large project for Avatar: The Last Airbender, I really didn't think this would be it. However, I got thinking about Kim Possible and started reading Drakken/Shego fics. I realized there were a lot of possibilities there, but I'd have to say that this particular story was inspired by "Maslow" by Ninnik Nishukan. It's a long read but well worth it, and it reminded me that there was a great deal to be resolved after "Mad Dogs and Aliens". This begins immediately after that episode, possibly overlapping the ending just a bit.

**Picking up the Pieces**

To tell the truth, Midas of the golden touch was all but forgotten by the time Shego lifted the hovercar off of the ground (she'd swiped it to take her vacation) and switched on the searchlights. That alien had thrown Drakken pretty hard, and Shego decided to go and find him. Just about anybody else would have been dead, but she'd seen him survive some pretty devastating calamities, and it was possible that he'd made it through this, too.

She told herself that she needed to find out what her employment options were. Her interest in Dr. Drakken's fate certainly couldn't be because she actually _cared_ or anything.

At last, the lights hit a human-shaped form clad in dark blue, and Shego landed the hovercar nearby. Investigating, she found her erstwhile boss unconscious, but breathing. It appeared that he had crashed through the only clump of bushes in a five-mile radius, which had broken his fall. The man had the luck of the devil – which was appropriate, considering.

Of course, he wasn't unscathed; it looked like his momentum had still carried him to the ground with a fair amount of force. There was a sizeable puddle of blood under his head, and his left arm was bent at an unnatural angle. Cautiously, the green-skinned woman bent over Drakken and ran her hands over his neck and spine to check for breaks that could cause further injury if she moved him. She was no doctor, but she didn't find anything out of the ordinary, so she thought she might as well get him to what was left of the lair. One of the downsides of being an infamous villain in a remote location was that you couldn't really call 911 and expect them to respond.

With an effort, Shego got Drakken into the hovercar and used the password to fly it right into the stone tower upon which the lair had been built. One advantage of building your home on a plateau was that there was plenty of room to build underneath, and she was taking the chance that the basement and cellar levels were reasonably intact.

Thankfully, they were. These had mostly been the henchmen's residences, so there was a kitchen and eating area, several bathrooms, and a supply of basics. Fortunately, the water and electricity still seemed to be operating. She lugged Drakken onto the couch in the common area (he was heavier than he looked, although he seemed a trifle thinner than she remembered). She then went off to one of the bathrooms and returned with damp cloths, which she used to clean up the back of his head. Once that was done, she could see that he was already clotting. She kept pressure on the area while she considered the situation. She was forced to come to the inescapable conclusion that she was going to need help, and she could think of only one person to call.

It took a little time, but she got the monitor in the room connected to a transmitter, and she entered the code she'd downloaded from the Kimmunicator while it had briefly been in her possession. She tried never to waste an opportunity to gain information about her enemies.

When the chubby, dark-skinned boy appeared on the screen, he nearly choked on the soda he always seemed to be slurping.

"Shego?" Wade exclaimed. "Twice in one day?"

"Yeah, I'm not planning to make a habit of it, boy wonder," she said wryly. "But I need a little help here." She gestured toward the mad scientist lying prone behind her, and Wade's eyes widened.

"What happened?"

"Some crazy alien threw him headfirst off a cliff."

"Ooookay. What do you need?"

"I was hoping you could help me figure out where his injuries are so I can patch him up," Shego replied. "I know he hit his head."

"All right, let's start there." Wade was busily tapping away at his keyboard and looking at other monitors. "When you touch the spot, does anything shift?" Shego felt around gingerly.

"There's a big bump there, but that's all," she answered. "And it was bleeding."

"He's got a very hard head," Wade remarked.

"You're telling me?" Shego muttered and was surprised to find that there was a certain amount of fondness attached to that thought. She shook it off.

"He'll have a headache when he wakes up, but it doesn't sound like there's a break or brain damage." Wade paused. "Well, any more than there already was."

"Funny," said Shego shortly. "Any idea how long he'll be out?"

"It's hard to say. At least a few hours, I'd guess. If it's more than a day, you should really call in a specialist."

Shego nodded thoughtfully. Kimmie's mother was a neurosurgeon, wasn't she? Shego could always kidnap her or something if it came to that.

"You should also stay with him for a few days," Wade continued. "Watch for signs of memory loss, and make sure there's no erratic behavior. Uh, more than usual, I mean."

"You know, I could do without the editorials," Shego snapped. She knew this was hypocritical, since she'd be tossing out zingers much faster and sharper than that if Dr. D were at the top of his game, but this situation was completely different. "Do you have a way identify other injuries?"

"An X-ray would be best, but I can't send that through the computer. Besides, you'd have to take all kinds of precautions. I have a sonic imager I'm working on that might help."

"Let's try it." Shego backed out of the way so that Wade had a clear view of the prone mad scientist and tried to wait patiently while the young prodigy did his thing.

"It looks like he took most of the impact on his left side," Wade announced. "That shoulder's dislocated, the arm's broken just above the elbow, and two ribs are cracked. Let me see if I can show you…" He projected a hologram so that Shego could identify where the problems lay. She committed the image to memory and inclined her head to show that she understood.

"It could have been a lot worse, though," Wade went on. "He's a tough old guy, isn't he?"

"He's not _that_ old," replied Shego absently, already thinking of the measures she'd have to take.

"Whatever. You'll have to splint the arm, and you should wrap the ribs."

"I may not be a Girl Scout, genius, but I could figure that much out!" she sniped.

"Hey, you called me," Wade reminded her. "Can you get a shoulder back into joint?"

"I'll manage. Um, thanks." The word felt like it was dragged out of her, but she figured if she didn't say it, he'd never go away.

"No problem," the boy said cheerfully, cutting the connection.

***

Staring at the now-blank monitor, Wade Load considered whether or not to share this little scene with Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. In the end, he decided it was too good to keep to himself.

_Beep-beep-BEE-beep_. Kim pulled out the Kimmunicator at the signal and held it up so that she and Ron could both see their tech support guy in the small screen. The young couple was finishing up their snack at Bueno Nacho before heading off to the movies.

"Hey, guess what, guys?" said Wade, not even waiting for Kim to speak. "I just heard from Shego again!"

"What now?" Kim demanded. She just wanted to relax with her boyfriend tonight. Hadn't there been enough drama for one day?

"Playing nurse, apparently. Drakken got pretty bashed up tonight."

"I thought she was going back on vacation," Ron remarked, confused.

"Yeah, well, that might have been the plan before Warmonga used Dr. Drakken to throw a 50-yard pass," Wade replied.

"I should have gone looking for him!" Kim exclaimed, feeling a pang of remorse. Sure, Dr. Drakken was a demented megalomaniac bent on ruling the world, but even he didn't deserve getting tossed off a cliff. "I saw her throw him, but I didn't even think about it."

"It's okay, Kim," Ron assured her, taking her free hand. "I mean, he's survived a lot of disasters in the years we've been fighting him."

"I know, but that was a pretty nasty fall. I'm the hero! I'm not supposed to leave people for dead, even villains!" She turned to Ron. "All I was really thinking about was how much I wanted to see you again." Her boyfriend blushed faintly.

"So you're upset because Shego's showing more compassion than you in this one case?" Wade asked her.

"I guess you could put it that way." The thought of Shego showing compassion was a little like imagining a sparrow deciding to live underwater.

"Well, Drakken's got some broken bones, but I think he'll live," Wade reported. "If it's any consolation, I think he's in good hands. Shego was even getting a little defensive about him. I really just wanted to let you know that you should have at least a few weeks before he's up for any new schemes."

"Well, that's a relief," Kim thanked Wade and signed off.

Their date temporarily forgotten, Kim and Ron sat for a moment in quiet contemplation.

"You know, KP, I'm having trouble seeing Shego as the caring type," Ron broke the silence.

"I know what you mean," said Kim thoughtfully. "But you never know…maybe they have a _thing_."

"Ewww! Shego and Drakken? That's totally…wrongsick!"

"Bleah!" added Rufus from his perch on the table.

"I don't know; I think they kind of deserve each other," Kim replied. "Actually, that would explain a lot."

"What are you talking about? It doesn't explain anything!"

"Oh, really? How about things like why she's always saving him even when she doesn't have to? There's no way Drakken pays _that_ well." The more Kim thought it over, the more she thought it made sense. In a twisted kind of way, anyway.

"They don't treat each other very well," Ron pointed out, but Kim just shrugged.

"So? It's evil love. We can't expect it to be _normal_." Kim sat up suddenly. "Remember what Shego said at the spa?"

"Um, she said a lot. You'll have to be more specific."

"She said she was on vacation from Drakken. But she hadn't been working with Drakken for months! They were both in prison, and then she teamed up with Junior and Motor Ed for a while. So why would she still need a vacation from Drakken?"

"Unless she's in denial?" Ron suggested, starting to get it.

"Exactly. And another thing – why did she come to the lair after we told her somebody'd sprung Drakken? And why did she call Wade so you and Tweebs could help me out?"

"Oooh, I see what you're saying! You think she was jealin'!"

"Yep," Kim agreed, leaning back in satisfaction. Maybe she could even find a way to use this against the pair when they next tangled. "She definitely didn't want anyone else pounding me."

"You might be right, but…still creepy," was Ron's verdict.

"No argument here. Now about that movie…"

***

Meanwhile, Shego went to work collecting all of the first aid supplies she could find. There was actually a pretty good inventory – they'd had a LOT of lairs and inventions blow up over the past few years, not to mention combat injuries.

Dr. Drakken was still out cold, which was probably a good thing. She might as well get all of the painful stuff out of the way while he was unable to feel it. For a moment, though, she stopped to reflect on exactly what she was doing. There was nothing keeping her here. She could just walk out, and Drakken would never know she'd been the one to drag him in.

For some reason, one that she shied away from examining too closely, she found herself incapable of leaving. She'd tried working with some other villains, and to be perfectly honest, it had been an unmitigated disaster. Junior was nice to look at but claimed less wit than the average 5-year-old. Motor Ed, on the other hand…ugh, she didn't even want to _think_ about him. After that debacle, she'd discovered that she actually missed Drakken.

Now, an ordinary person, upon reaching such a conclusion, would undoubtedly have taken immediate steps to rectify the situation. Shego, however, was not an ordinary person. Therefore, she'd done what she always did when things got uncomfortable or confusing – she'd run away, telling herself that she deserved a vacation.

Sighing with resignation, Shego knew that she was going to stay. Drakken needed her, and what woman – evil or not – could resist that? She cheered herself up by remembering that Kimmie had run off and left, so that Shego finally got to one-up her nemesis by doing something almost heroic. It was a tiny victory, but after the day she'd had, she'd take it.

Shego undid the belt of Drakken's coat and tossed it on the floor, then fumbled with the many fastenings.

_I think I'm going to talk to him about his wardrobe when he wakes up, _she thought irritably. _I mean, is a calf-length lab coat really necessary at all times?_ At last, the front was open, and she pulled his right arm out of the sleeve. With unaccustomed gentleness, she maneuvered the broken left arm out as well, leaving the large article of clothing lying beneath him. He had a short-sleeved black T-shirt on underneath, so Shego decided to deal with the dislocation first. Carefully grasping Drakken's upper arm with one hand, avoiding the fracture, and taking a firm hold of his shoulder with the other hand, she tugged and twisted until, with a satisfying pop, the joint was back in place. It must have been painful enough to sink into Drakken's unconscious state because he let out a grunt before returning to insensibility.

Shego rested briefly before working on removing the shirt. It was quite a job getting it off the heavy, unresisting body, reminding her uncomfortably of helping her little brothers get dressed. When it was finally done, she caught her breath involuntarily.

"Whoa, Dr. D," she murmured. "Taking advantage of the prison gym, were you?" There was a slight softness at his waist – not unexpected in a man over forty, especially one who'd just been incarcerated – but there was really very little fat, and his chest and arms were surprisingly well toned. Shego had known, in an academic sense, that he worked hard to stay trim, but she'd never seen the evidence this close before.

Setting such observations aside, she took hold of the broken arm and set the bone so that it looked straight. She then splinted it with lengths of wood and wrapped the whole thing. A cast would have been better, but she didn't have that option at the moment. She made sure that the splint would still allow the arm to bend.

At this point, Shego again hesitated. The ribs were going to be a pain with him lying there as dead weight, and she considered saving them until later. In the end, however, she decided that she might as well finish what she'd started. She painstakingly wrapped a heavy bandage around the cracked ribs as tightly as she could manage, feeding it under Drakken with each pass and pulling it over again. Finally, she made a sling out of gauze to immobilize his arm and shoulder to avoid re-injury.

When this was all done, Shego was exhausted. It had been quite a long day: she'd flown over from Greece to see what was going on, fought a nine-foot alien warrior, endured a brief but humiliating captivity, called reinforcements for Kimmie, and performed extensive first aid on her boss. She had just enough energy to drag a mattress in before collapsing onto it and falling deeply asleep.

--

Author's Note: Well, that's the first chapter. It really flowed out of me, and I can honestly say that I haven't been this absorbed in a project for quite some time. I'm not certain yet how long it will be. I thought Kim's remorse here might explain why she so quickly dove to rescue Drakken in "Cap'n Drakken." Just a thought. Any Disney aficionados out there might have recognized that "Evil Love" was the name of a song from Phineas & Ferb. I just had to throw it in there!

To those of you who aren't familiar with my style, I will briefly respond to reviews at the end of the next chapter.


	2. 2: Consciousness and Compromise

Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible or have any claim to it.

Author's Note: I took some definite liberties here with regard to some of Drakken's inventions, but I liked the concepts. I also ascribed a few of my husband's peculiarities to Dr. Drakken, simply because it amused me. A general thank you to all who are reading this!

**Consciousness and Compromise**

The first sensation was pain. The pain came from everywhere and nowhere simultaneously; it was all-encompassing, suppressing all sense of self.

As Dr. Drakken, formerly Drew Lipsky, fought his way toward consciousness, he was able to isolate the origins of the pain. This was not much of an improvement, but it did shoot him to full wakefulness with impressive speed. Once awake, he took stock of himself.

His head was throbbing, his left arm was immobilized and felt almost on fire, and he got pains in his chest every time he took a breath. The last thing he remembered was being flung a great distance by a green-skinned woman about nine feet tall who shook the ground when she walked. Warmonga, that was her name. Mercifully, he did not remember the impact, though there must have been one.

As his eyes adjusted to the pale light coming from somewhere, he recognized the lower levels of his ruined lair. Taking a deep breath, he sat up, using his right arm to support himself. Almost immediately, he regretted the change of position as a wave of nausea and dizziness passed over him. He felt almost as bad as the one hangover he'd had, back in college, when some upperclassmen had thought it would be funny to get the freshman nerd drunk. He didn't remember much about the evening, but the morning after remained clear in his memory more than two decades later. In a way, the experience had been instructive; he had never overindulged in alcohol again.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Drakken let out an agonized groan. It was at that point that he realized he was not alone.

"Dr. D?" mumbled a sleepy but familiar voice, and he opened his eyes again, peering through his loose hair to see the black and green lump on the floor resolving itself into his onetime sidekick. "Good, you're awake."

"Sh – Shego?" he stammered. He couldn't imagine why she would be here. Her long hair was tousled, her makeup smeared, and she was wiping sleep out of her eyes. Drakken didn't think she'd ever looked so beautiful. If he hadn't been so distracted, he probably would have wondered where that thought had come from.

"Oh, here," she said, half to herself, as she moved to sit beside him. She pulled an elastic band from her wrist and pulled his hair into its usual ponytail, a simple gesture that made him feel…cared for. "I had to wash the blood out."

"I was bleeding?" he blurted with some surprise. He felt gingerly around the bump on the back of his head (that explained the headache) and confirmed that a scab had formed there. He had not cut himself since the incident that had given him the scar around his left eye. The experiment that had turned his skin blue had also made it unusually tough and difficult to pierce, which had come in handy through his years of villainy.

"You took a good crack there," Shego informed him as she returned to sit on the mattress that Drakken now realized lay on the floor. "I guess your alien sidekick had a temper."

Drakken groaned, with more than pain this time. He'd decided that sitting up was a bad idea and was kicking off his shoes in preparation for lying down again.

"Wait a minute," Shego interrupted, standing up and pulling the heavy lab coat off the couch to drape over the back. She looked at it critically. It would need a good washing, but it didn't show much damage. "I think this thing's in better shape than you are right now. What's it made of, anyway?"

"It's a steel-reinforced cotton/synthetic blend of my own design," he replied matter-of-factly as he lay down with his head resting on the arm of the couch.

"Steel – are you telling me that thing's _armor_?"

"Essentially, yes. It doesn't keep me from getting battered now and then, but it does reduce the impact, and it doesn't wear out. It's also chemically resistant and flame retardant." An additional feature he'd added after one too many threats from his sidekick was that it would absorb some of the power of her plasma bolts, but he had no intention of telling her that.

"Didn't it ever occur to you that I could use some material like that?" Shego demanded. Drakken looked at her, perplexed.

"You already have a practically indestructible suit especially designed for your unique abilities," he reminded her. "Anyway, I couldn't make it thin or flexible enough to be useful to you. I don't need to move quickly or quietly; you do."

"Oh," was all that Shego could say. It was clear that he had actually given the matter some serious thought, and she was oddly touched. She swept her gaze over him, noting the changes since she'd turned him into a half-wrapped mummy and giving a low whistle. "Those weren't there earlier."

Following her gaze, Drakken saw that purplish/black splotches were blossoming all over the areas he could see, and he was certain there were more he couldn't see. Bruises looked particularly nasty on blue skin.

"Is there any anesthetic?" he asked plaintively, wincing and putting his good arm to his head.

"I'll see what I can find." Shego left and returned with a bottle of aspirin. Drakken grabbed four and dry-swallowed them before Shego pulled the bottle back out of his reach. "Whoa, take it easy, Doc! You've lost blood, and you haven't eaten anything since at least yesterday."

"Everything _hurts_," he complained. He knew the medication would tear up his stomach even more, but he really wanted to make the pain go away. He lay back to wait for it to work. "I suppose you're responsible for this?" He made a gesture indicating his upper body.

For a moment, Shego thought he was accusing her of causing the damage, and she wanted to flare up at him. Then she realized that he was talking about the bandages, and she relaxed.

"Volunteers weren't exactly lining up for the privilege," she quipped.

"But…why?" he asked bluntly, and she shifted uncomfortably. It was a reasonable question, even a natural one. It was also a question she'd deliberately been avoiding asking herself. She hugged her knees to her chest.

"Yeah, you know, it doesn't look very good on your résumé to say that you let your boss bleed to death in the middle of nowhere." As usual, she hid anything that might be remotely emotional underneath layers of sarcasm and indifference. Drakken looked at her piercingly for a moment, then returned to studying the ceiling.

"You aren't actually working for me anymore," he pointed out reasonably.

"Technically, I still have two weeks on my contract."

"You broke your contract when you abandoned me."

And there it was, the Lorwardian in the room. Shego had left Dr. Drakken behind, in prison, leading him to team up with a large, green-skinned alien with limited cognitive skills but advanced technology, thereby putting them in their present predicament. She was willing to accept that responsibility, but there was no way she'd admit that to him. Still, she felt a reasonable, mercenary explanation was in order.

"Look, Junior and Eddie busted me out," she said. "I owed it to them to do one job each."

"You could have asked them to get me out, too," he countered, sounding sulky.

"Okay, first of all, neither of their plans required a genius." Drakken looked sharply at Shego when she said that, and she belatedly realized that she had probably never actually called him a genius and meant it before, but there was really no denying the man was brilliant. Also bizarre and often self-deluded, but brilliant. She decided to press on as though what she'd said was nothing special. "Secondly, neither one of them would have listened to me. Junior didn't even understand half of what I said, and Motor Ed would just say things like, 'Babes don't tell dudes what to do.'" She did the last part in a credible imitation of Ed's voice.

"And that worked?" asked Drakken, rising up on his good elbow and looking acutely interested. At Shego's withering glare, he sank back down onto the sofa. "Nnnngh. Never mind."

"Good choice," she told him, but secretly, she was pleased. It had just occurred to her that the main reason Drakken got so upset about her mocking was that he actually _cared_ what she thought. She was forced to admit that, compared to his cousin Eddie, Dr. Drakken was a veritable Prince Charming. At least he appreciated her skills and made use of them. He even listened to her opinions once in a while.

"What about after that?" he said petulantly.

"I needed a break, okay? Have you _met_ your cousin?"

Drakken gave a dry chuckle that turned into a hiss as his ribs protested.

"So I was just supposed to sit around and wait for you to decide you were ready to go back to work?" he challenged when he recovered enough. Shego opened her mouth, couldn't think of anything to say, and shut it again. Unfortunately, he was right; that was exactly how she'd been thinking. She thought nothing of running off with other villains but expected that Drakken would be there when she wanted him. Was this what she had been reduced to, that Dr. Drakken was her _fallback guy_? How pathetic was that?

In fact, it was with a shock that she recognized that the longest, most intimate relationship she'd ever had with a man was her professional partnership with Dr. D. They lived together, they worked together, they'd learned to adapt to one another's strengths, weaknesses, and idiosyncrasies. Shego had gone on dates periodically and even indulged in the occasional one-night stand, but that was pure, physical release. She never went to the trouble of actually getting to know those guys; she didn't see the point.

"You need to eat something," she said suddenly, afraid she would reveal something accidentally. "It'll help your body replace the blood you lost." She stripped her gloves off as she stood up.

"You can't cook," Drakken sighed morosely, and Shego felt herself bristling. Almost immediately, she caught herself. What he'd said was no more than the truth, and she'd never been bothered by her lack of domestic skills before. Her value lay in other areas. At those times when it was just the two of them, like now, Drakken did all the cooking. It was basically a form of chemistry, after all.

"There isn't much food here, anyway," she tossed over her shoulder. "I think even I can manage instant oatmeal."

As expected, the only things edible were some dry goods, although there were some very interesting science experiments in the refrigerator that might once have been fruits and vegetables. She didn't bother with the freezer, deciding she could take inventory in the morning. As she hunted, she tied back her hair with a strip of cloth to keep it out of her way.

She did find some cinnamon-flavored oatmeal and used her plasma fire to boil the water to mix it with. In addition, she discovered some powdered lemonade and mixed up a pitcher of that.

"Breakfast of champions," she murmured to herself. She found a folding TV tray, set it up beside the couch, then brought in the small meal. Reluctantly, Drakken sat up and poked at it. He didn't really feel like eating anything, but he knew that she was right and he needed to get some sugar into his body. He slugged some of the lemonade first, even though it was pink, and he hated the pink kind. It went down easily enough, so he moved on to the food.

"So what _did_ those two idiots want you for?" he asked, making conversation. It was kind of unnerving to have her just watching him eat like that.

"Junior wanted to steal something unique for his old man's birthday. Eddie…" Shego rolled her eyes. "He just wanted a hot babe to drive cross-country with."

Drakken paused with the spoon halfway to his mouth, his eyebrow shooting up. That couldn't have gone over well.

"Is my dear cousin still in one piece?" he inquired curiously, and Shego smirked. The two of them shared a look of mutual suffering, and a little of the tension between them eased.

"I didn't do him any permanent damage, but he's probably occupying your old bunk at the pen by now."

"I find that I can accept that news with equanimity," said Drakken soberly, making Shego giggle. Dr. Drakken spent several moments contemplating Frugal Lucre driving Eddie crazy with his constant jabbering. Or maybe it would be the other way around; it was kind of a tossup between those two as to who was more annoying.

Once started, it didn't take Drakken long to finish his impromptu meal, and he made a rather awkward visit to the bathroom while Shego cleared away the dishes. When they rejoined one another in the common room, Shego announced that she should re-wrap his ribs while he was upright. He meekly acquiesced as she removed the gauze that was pinning his arm to his side so that she had an opening to reach around him.

It was a slow, painstaking process to unwrap him while maneuvering around the broken arm. Drakken felt acutely aware of her fingers brushing his skin, her breath on his neck, and her hair occasionally brushing him. True, her touch was clinical, and it wasn't like she wasn't in the habit of touching him – usually to get in his personal space and annoy him, as far as he could tell – but direct skin-on-skin contact was rare. Maybe it was just that they'd been apart for so long, but there seemed to be something almost intimate about her actions. Drakken cleared his throat, needing to fill the silence.

"Why did you come here?" he asked the first question that came to mind. Her hands paused in their work but resumed before she responded.

"I was curious," she answered, and Drakken could almost hear her shrug. Although he had no way of knowing it, that was another question she'd tried not to think about too much. "Team Possible interrupted my vacation because they thought I'd broken you out. I wanted to see who had."

Drakken mulled that over for a few seconds. He decided it was time for a little honesty.

"I thought it was you, you know," he admitted. "Someone at the prison told me a green-skinned woman was looking for me. Naturally, I assumed…" he trailed off, trying not to remember the elation he'd initially felt at the news. That had immediately been followed by irritation that it had taken her so long and then confusion as someone else entirely abducted him. "The next thing I knew, I was being sucked into an alien ship, and an unusually large woman was asking me if I was the 'Great Blue,' whatever _that_ means."

By this time, Shego had repositioned the bandage and was beginning to wrap it tightly around him.

"So, of course, you told her you were," she supplied.

"Not immediately. But then she told me that she would provide The Great Blue with advanced technology and weapons."

"And you couldn't turn that down." Shego could imagine the scene now, and she completely understood. Naturally, Dr. Drakken wouldn't have been able to refuse the possibility of a doomsday device that he didn't have to expend time and effort to make himself. "Okay, but what was _with_ that plan?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on! Sucking away the oxygen in the atmosphere? First, what's the point of ruling a world of dead things? Well, except plants, I guess. Second, Mel Brooks already used that in the plot of a movie, like, 20 years ago."

Dr. Drakken frowned deeply. He hated copying other people's ideas, but he had thought the whole thing sounded vaguely familiar. Truthfully, he'd only wanted a plan big enough to lure Kim Possible there so that Warmonga could flatten her. He hadn't really thought much beyond that, but there was no way he was going to admit that to Shego. Therefore, he retreated to his usual defense when she was right and grew defensive.

"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped. "I wasn't going to allow everyone to die. The brain can survive seven minutes without oxygen, and just about everyone would be unconscious by two minutes. At that point, we could have returned the atmosphere, and I could have seized control before the world's leaders came to." It sounded good to him, and he was rather proud of himself for coming up with that on the spur of the moment and with a headache besides.

"If you say so," she said doubtfully. "There." She finished wrapping him up and moved back to her mattress. The bandages were considerably tighter, but Drakken noticed that breathing didn't hurt nearly as much. In addition, the aspirin was finally starting to work, and now that he wasn't in so much pain, he was feeling tired.

"I suppose this does sort of go beyond the call of duty," he remarked thoughtfully as he lay down on the couch. "Maybe I ought to give you a signing bonus."

"Does that mean you'll take me back?" Shego inwardly winced at how desperate she sounded. She hadn't realized until that moment how much she really did want her job back.

"I'm a supervillain, Shego," Drakken sighed. "I don't really expect unswerving loyalty. I might have hoped that you and I were beyond such things, but…well. Anyway, I'm not a solo act. You know that."

For some reason, his casual acceptance of her betrayal made her feel something strange. In a flash of intuition, she understood that the reason he'd taken such obvious pleasure in gloating over the alien's prowess was because he'd been hurt by her abandonment and felt the need to lash out at her. Was this guilt that plagued her? Surely not. She'd left that behind with her family.

"Okay, I left you to rot in prison, and you sicced a monstrous alien on me," she summed up. "Can we call it even and start over?"

"Yes, I think we can," said Drakken after a moment. He suspected that she'd also been responsible for the mysterious message about The Great Blue waiting for Warmonga on Pluto, but that would have been self-preservation, and he could respect that. Maybe it was time to let bygones be bygones.

About ten seconds later, he was asleep. Shego bemusedly wondered whether he would even remember their agreement when he woke up. Either way, she felt better. She went to one of the bunkrooms and returned with two blankets. She gently draped one over Dr. Drakken and pulled the other over herself. Neither of them stirred until morning.

--

Author's Note: Hey, if Ron can have a titanium-reinforced belt, why can't Drakken have a steel-reinforced coat?

Review responses:

Katsumara: Thanks, I do think Drakken and Shego have developed a sort of affection born of long association, even if it's slightly dysfunctional. When you think about it, their partnership is a little like a marriage, as I've implied in this chapter.

saragil: There will be a bit more, plus I have an idea for a post-series oneshot.

shadowgirl416: There really aren't that many of this couple, are there? I think they deserve some attention. Hope you enjoy!

PoisonousAngel: Right you are! She's still taking care of him here, but the next chapter or two will have them more as they used to be.

automaticloveletter: I don't intend to forget, but this story won't be very long. It's only a bridge between episodes, after all. I do tend to update frequently, about once a week.


	3. 3: Return to Routine

Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible or have any claim to it.

Author's Note: I don't have much to say about this chapter, so enjoy, and have a happy Easter!

**Return to Routine**

As it happened, Dr. Drakken did remember their conversation. He was one of those people who could fall asleep between one breath and the next but would remember everything prior to that moment. So the next morning, their partnership resumed, if a little tenuously. Shego went out with a list to get some real groceries, and she decided to actually pay for them. It wasn't a good time to bring the attention of the local authorities down upon them.

She then found herself needing to learn a little about cooking. She did the two-handed jobs, like peeling and chopping vegetables, while Drakken mixed and measured. Dr. Drakken also wanted some lab materials, which were a little more difficult to procure than food. Still, Shego didn't mind flexing her stealth skills, and she managed to obtain some basics in small amounts that wouldn't be noticed. High school and college science students were famous for breaking beakers and spilling reagents, so swiping a few items here and there was unlikely to arouse suspicion.

Over the next few days, they fell into a routine. They each claimed one of the bunkrooms to sleep in, but they spent most of their waking hours together – preparing meals, working in the lab, or sometimes just talking. Drakken's headaches receded, and his bruises turned a sickly green color before disappearing entirely. After about a week, Shego brought up the topic of setting up a new lair.

"Plans for that have already been set in motion, Shego," he assured her distractedly. She was confused by this because the only new thing she'd really noticed him doing was filling out some government forms. This was not the first time he'd been mysterious about something, however, so she shrugged it off.

In the meantime, Dr. D was busily working on something in his rudimentary lab, but it was nowhere near on as grand a scale as his usual projects. Despite acting as his left hand much of the time, Shego was mystified as to its purpose. While the work was still in progress, his ribs healed enough that the chest wrappings could be removed, and he took to wearing a button-down shirt that he'd put his right arm through normally but drape over his left shoulder. It looked a little like a comical cape, and it got in his way some, but it was serviceable.

At last, the object he was making was completed, looking something like a large, asymmetric pipe fitting. At Drakken's instructions – and against her better judgment – Shego removed his sling and splint. Then, between the two of them, they got the new invention fitted and snapped into place over Drakken's elbow. Only then did Shego understand that he'd created a kind of plastic cast.

"Much better," Drakken remarked triumphantly, moving his arm experimentally from the shoulder. He wasn't even aware of the dislocation there, and it didn't cause him any trouble. "Now I can actually use this hand once in a while, and I can start wearing shirts again." He flexed the fingers of his left hand, stretching out the disused muscles.

Best of all, as far as he was concerned, he could now take a proper shower, and he quickly excused himself to do so. He'd been giving himself sponge baths and rinsing his hair out in the sink, but today, he could finally wash away the grime of his fall.

Shego reclined on the couch while he washed up, flipping through channels on the television without really seeing them. She had to admit that Drakken was capable of coming up with some pretty incredible things when he had adequate motivation.

She recalled with envy all of the things Junior had said he and his father already owned, things she recognized as very difficult to obtain. Being fabulously wealthy, the Seniors had it made. Any time they wanted something built, they could simply hire it done, buying all of the materials themselves (legally or illegally). Dr. Drakken, on the other hand, was often limited by what he could beg, steal, borrow, or create. It gave Shego a new respect for the challenges her employer faced and how amazing it was that he'd come as close to conquering the world as he occasionally had.

Of course, Shego didn't know half of what Drakken's new invention could do. He'd lined the inside with a special adhesive that would bond with his skin and deliver calcium and other nutrients directly to the injured area, helping him to heal faster than he otherwise would. In principle, it was similar to a nicotine or birth control patch. In addition, there was an aperture on the outside through which he could inject local anesthetic, if needed. The pain had diminished greatly, largely replaced by itching, but he believed in covering all possibilities that occurred to him. Biology wasn't his strong suit, but he did dabble in biochemistry from time to time. He was also thinking about brushing up on his botany. Shego had mentioned something about plants that had started the seed of an idea (pun intended) growing in his fertile mind. That would take some time, however, so it would have to wait.

When Drakken rejoined his employee, newly clean and shaved and in a much better mood than he'd been in quite some time, Shego turned the TV off. She noticed that he was wearing a casual navy blue shirt with dark blue pants and wondered if the man owned a single article of clothing that wasn't either black or blue. Then again, with his coloring, it was probably hard to find anything that complimented him. That gaudy hip-hop outfit last year certainly hadn't done him any favors. Not that she was really in a position to criticize, considering that her wardrobe consisted almost exclusively of white, green, and black, but she didn't usually let that stop her.

"You know, that Lil Diablo plan was actually pretty good," she complimented him. Back before it had crashed, she'd mentioned being impressed, but the sentiment bore repeating. She'd been giving the matter some thought recently. "It came really close to working."

"Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and thermonuclear weapons," he quipped. He didn't seem upset to be reminded of his failure, but knowing him, he was moving on to his next attempt. Dr. Drakken wasn't one to look back.

"I think the one thing you didn't consider was the buffoon," Shego persisted.

"The sidekick? What about him?"

"Well, he and Kimmie are an item now—"

"What!" Drakken exclaimed, jumping to his feet in his surprise. "Did the entire world turn upside down while I was gone? Kim Possible and the buffoon are _dating_?"

"Um, no and yes," said Shego in response. "I think." Drakken, however, had stopped listening by this point.

"Well, I suppose stranger things have happened, although nothing comes to mind," he mused. He began pacing the room as he thought aloud, gesticulating wildly with his good arm. "Yes, I see it now. Kim fell for Eric as planned, but that just led the buffoon to realize his own feelings for her. He didn't have a date for the dance…"

"Speaking from experience now?" Shego couldn't resist muttering, but she said it softly, and Drakken was on a roll.

"…so instead of going, he decided to get a snack from his favorite fast food joint, Bueno Nacho."

"Wait a minute, Doc," interrupted Shego. "You know his eating habits, but you can't remember his name?" Drakken ignored her.

"He must have been there when some of the robots were activated," he decided. "He went to the school to warn Kim, and…" Here, he stopped. He was having trouble with the next logical step. "Why did she go with him? Why did she leave the perfect date for a wild story told by a jealous teen?"

"I'm gonna go with 12 or so years of friendship here," Shego supplied. "And they'd spent three or four of those years working together to fight people like us. They trust each other. A hot guy she'd only known for a few weeks couldn't compete with that."

"Hmmm. Yes, trust _is_ important in a team." His tone wasn't particularly biting, but Shego flinched involuntarily anyway. For all she knew, he wasn't even directing the comment at her, but she sort of doubted it. If anyone could hold a grudge, it was Dr. Drakken, and she had no illusions that he would not make her pay for her abandonment in small, subtle ways for a long time to come.

Strangely, she found that she didn't mind the prospect all that much. Both of them had escaped prison long before their sentences had been served, they were a team again, and Drakken had that gleam in his eye that indicated another plan was in the works. All in all, there was a lot to appreciate about where they were right now, and she didn't even really care that whatever he had in mind would probably be a gigantic flop. There was even comfort in the familiarity of that, and she could at least look forward to getting the chance to trade blows with Kim Possible again, thus fully restoring the natural order of things.

"And since it looks like they 'got together,' you know, romantically, soon after beating us, she probably already had some feelings for him, too," Shego added.

There was only one thing still bothering her, and it related to the Moodulator incident last year. She and Drakken had a tacit agreement never to speak about that day, but the fact of Kimmie and Stoppable's new relationship had brought it back to her mind.

Her memories of being under the influence of that diabolical invention were a little hazy, but she was pretty sure she recalled Kimmie chasing her sidekick even as Shego had been chasing Drakken. Now that the other team had made things official, it was forcing Shego to face some uncomfortable possibilities.

She had originally assumed that the Moodulator somehow took your brain waves and altered them to essentially create emotion. Lately, she had begun to suspect that it was something else entirely. When first affected by the "love" setting, Kimmie had been at school, meaning that she had a population of hundreds of eligible boys upon which to fixate. She had chosen Ron, and recent developments would argue for the idea that she'd already been attracted to him at a subconscious level.

Therefore, the inescapable conclusion was that the Moodulator merely brought forward an emotion that was already there, however deeply submerged, and made you feel it to the exclusion of all else. That meant that Shego held within her the capacity to fall in love with her boss.

There was a time, not all that long ago, when she would have laughed aloud at such a suggestion. Now, however, she was willing to entertain the idea. In fact, it was kind of hard to argue the point when she'd barged in here like a jealous lover at the thought that Dr. D might have found a new sidekick.

"Well, I won't underestimate him again," Drakken was saying, sinking back down onto the sofa. Shego wondered if she'd missed anything but quickly decided it didn't much matter. "Is there anything on?"

"We're kind of in between the afternoon soaps and the evening news," she said, handing over the remote. "Knock yourself out. I wasn't having much luck." She let him play with the (pirated) cable while she surreptitiously studied him. He wasn't handsome by any measure, yet his face was nearly as familiar to her by this time as her own. And what was love, really, but familiarity? At least, that seemed to have worked for Team Possible.

Drakken could be charming when he wanted to be, and he made her laugh. She even thought he was kind of cute when he got so angry that the veins stood out on his neck. Why else would she work so hard to rile him up?

Shego turned her eyes forward again and folded her legs up under her, getting comfortable. Dr. D probably knew how the Moodulator worked, but she couldn't ask him for obvious reasons. If it hadn't already occurred to him, she definitely wasn't ready to bring this awkward situation to the forefront of his thoughts.

The green-skinned woman suppressed a sigh as she rested her head on her hand. This line of thinking wasn't really getting her anywhere. Romantic love was basically a foreign concept to her. Sure, she'd seen the obligatory fairy tale movies as a child, and she'd had her share of crushes as a young girl. By the time she should have been in prime dating form, though, she'd had superpowers, and being part of Team Go had really cut into her social life. Not to mention the fact that she'd turned green, which was kind of hard for high school guys to see past.

Certainly, Shego knew _now_ that she was attractive, but she'd just been an insecure teenager back then. It was very likely that her failures with the opposite sex in those years had laid the foundation that eventually led to her abandoning her family and becoming a criminal. Since then, men had become objects to be used when necessary. Life was cleaner that way, easier. _Safer. _It kind of galled Shego that Kimmie, young as she was, could actually give the older woman pointers on falling in love. Not that she actually intended to ask.

Her interaction with Dr. Drakken had been…different from the beginning. They'd always remained on a professional footing, as was proper, except in extreme circumstances. Nonetheless, what they had was far from a typical working relationship. They went bowling with the henchmen, they had karaoke nights together, and they remembered each other's birthdays, among other things.

Shego decided to spare a few moments thinking back on how this partnership had come about in the first place. She hadn't really had a clear idea of what she wanted to do after she left her brothers. The only thing she'd been sure of was that she was tired of putting her life on hold to serve others and sick of taking orders from Hego. So she'd finished her college degree while taking some odd jobs here and there. Eventually, she realized that wasn't for her. She wanted to put herself first for a change, and she stopped caring whether that happened at the expense of others. Thus, she embarked on her life of crime, turning away from her superhero past for good.

She'd only stolen for herself at first, but when that proved impractical, she worked freelance for a while and bounced through a couple of criminal organizations, where her mouth and attitude tended to get her into trouble. Finally, she'd offered her services to Dr. Drakken, who was looking for a sort of versatile bodyguard. After a 3-month probationary period, she'd signed a two-year contract, and they'd been more or less a fixture in the villain world ever since.

They were a mismatched pair, when you thought about it – she was the languidly sardonic fighter while he was the frenetic mad scientist. Somehow, though, their differences seemed to work for them. They might not be as seamless a team as Kimmie and Ron (and the naked rodent, don't forget that), but as recent events had shown, they were still better together than they were apart.

Some might wonder why Shego had stuck with Drakken, even after accepting that everything he did was likely doomed. Mostly, it was a good gig. She received room and board in addition to a very satisfactory salary, not to mention medical benefits and paid vacations. She also got to travel the world (her favorite lairs were the island ones) and was able to talk her boss into certain other perks, like hot tubs and sun lamps. She lacked any concrete goals, so taking his orders when she was needed and relaxing the rest of the time suited her.

And if she decided to be honest with herself, she kind of liked the guy. That was, after all, where this whole train of thought had started. She admired his drive and persistence, and his excitement about a new scheme was sometimes contagious. Maybe the most surprising thing was that _he_ continued to put up with _her_, renewing her contract two years ago and taking her back after the alien fiasco. She was a tremendous asset, yes, but was she worth the aggravation? He seemed to think so.

Shego's head was starting to feel heavy. Her brain wasn't used to following these pathways, and it was more tiring than she would have expected. She wondered what it would actually feel like to be in love. She was pretty sure it wouldn't be quite like the rather monolithic Moodulator experience. Just as her normal sadness wouldn't make her weep copiously and her normal anger wouldn't cause her to hurl plasma bolts indiscriminately, she could assume that normal love (whatever that was for her) wouldn't lead her to throw herself at the nearest man like a drunk, horny college girl at Mardi Gras.

She shuddered involuntarily at what she did remember about that day. She was very fortunate that Drakken had not…taken advantage of the situation. She would not have resisted – in fact, she probably would have been more than eager. Despite being some 15 years her senior, Drakken was strangely innocent in some ways, and she doubted whether he had even seriously considered that. It was possible, of course, that he'd realized something was wrong with her and wanted to avoid the unpleasant consequences that could have resulted from any rash action on his part. She definitely would have been angry afterward, and the resulting awkwardness might have made it impossible for them to continue working together.

Still, now that she thought about it he'd never in her recollection indicated that he had any sexual needs to indulge. Not that she'd felt it was her business to pry into his private life. The thing was, he simply didn't seem to have one.

Maybe he'd just given up. She knew about some of his failures in the female department – for a guy with such a delicate ego, he wasn't that shy about expounding on his past humiliations. The memories actually seemed to fuel his world-conquering ambitions. She knew he was often lonely, though, and there were times when she suspected that he kept her around mostly for the company. Henchmen had their uses, but they didn't tend to be brilliant conversationalists.

Sighing, Shego closed her eyes. All that she'd managed to conclude was that love was likely to be quieter and far more subtle than what the Moodulator had made her feel, but she felt too weary to pursue the topic any further. Who knew that self-examination could be so exhausting?

--

Author's Note: I know I've been spending a lot of time on Shego, but it seems to me that she has more issues to work through. Drakken has had two decades to deal with his personal flaws and enough solitude in which to do it. I think he will get a little more time next chapter, though.

Review responses:

Katsumara: I'm very happy to hear that you enjoyed it. Don't worry; the Kim/Ron ship is in the back of my mind. I just want to finish this story first. I'm thinking of tackling the college years or something.

saragil: I don't need the puppy dog pout to convince me to do more. I think there will be one or two more chapters of this.

shadowgirl416: Interpersonal chemistry and sexual tension are two things I enjoy both reading and writing, and I think I'm pretty good at them. I'm trying not to hit everyone over the head with it, though.

PoisonousAngel: Oh, thank you. I'm focusing on Shego a lot in this story, but I really enjoy writing Drakken's dialogue. Glad you enjoyed my speculation on his coat.

automaticloveletter: Any romance will be generally subtle and/or internal. I just don't think they're at a point here where they can be open about things. However, I've already planned the ending, and it will be slightly fluffy.


	4. 4: Rest and Realization

Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible or have any claim to it. I am making no money from this piece of fiction.

Author's Note: Just a quick note regarding the previous chapter. I felt a little cheated when we didn't get to see how Drakken and Shego responded to the news of Kim and Ron being a couple, so I wanted to address it. After Dementor saying he didn't believe it in Ill Suited, I thought that would be sort of a running gag when they faced each villain for the first time in Season 4.

**Rest and Realization**

"Why do people line up to get on these reality shows?" Drakken asked, watching the television with an almost morbid fascination. "Doesn't everyday life provide enough opportunities for humiliation?" When his companion, who was usually ready with a snarky comment at the drop of a hat, said nothing, he prompted her. "Shego?" Greeted by her continued silence, he turned toward her. "Shego?"

The young woman was curled up on her half of the sofa, lying very still, and some of her hair had fallen forward, obscuring her face. Cautiously, every nerve tensed in case a hasty retreat proved necessary, Drakken reached forward and pulled her hair aside with his delicate fingers. She really was sleeping, and Drakken pulled back, surprised. He couldn't recall ever seeing her sleep before; she usually didn't let her guard down that much. Warmonga had knocked her out during their fight, but that had only lasted a few minutes, most of which was occupied with getting Shego safely restrained. This was different, and he couldn't decide whether to feel pleased or offended that she was comfortable enough with him to relax like that. Dr. Drakken liked to think of himself as a dangerous man, but he was well aware that he was far from it when it came to Shego. She was capable of flattening him in three seconds, and he was okay with that – it was what he paid her for, after all.

As he considered her peaceful form, surprise gave way to concern. It was only early evening, and he couldn't think why she was so tired as to have fallen asleep so easily. He was accustomed to going days without sleep when a project really gripped him, but his injuries had required him to get regular rest, so he didn't think he'd been costing her sleep. Still, he had been more demanding of her than usual lately, thanks to his broken arm, and maybe she wasn't used to it. Now that he had his new cast, he was a little more independent and could afford to give her some time off. Drakken suddenly felt a strange need to take care of her, which he did his best to shrug off.

She was much prettier, he thought, with her features relaxed like this. She was always attractive, of course – Drakken had been known to make use of that fact as part of his plans – but seeing her in so innocent and vulnerable a pose added a new layer of beauty somehow. He noted that she also looked much younger without the veneer of cynicism she habitually wore. Shego carried herself with such confidence that Drakken often forgot about the age difference between them. Now, he recalled that she'd been just an ordinary child when he'd first gone into the villain business, and the thought depressed him more than he expected.

Sighing, he turned off the TV and stood up. He found a spare blanket and gently draped it over his sidekick; he thought he'd noticed her shivering earlier. She barely stirred as he went to the kitchen to make supper, deciding that he could handle a simple spaghetti meal on his own.

Humming softly, Drakken pulled the ingredients together and set a pot of water to boil. While waiting for that, he tore lettuce for a salad. It was a good thing that both he and Shego liked Italian food. Besides the excellent taste, it was simple to make, relatively inexpensive, and filling.

Drakken actually enjoyed cooking, particularly baking. Who didn't like cookies and cupcakes? It was a skill he'd learned at his mother's apron strings, and it had been very useful to him since he'd accepted that he would likely go through the rest of his life as a confirmed bachelor. If only Mother could learn to be content with that.

He also liked that cooking kept the hands busy while the brain was mostly free. Some of his best ideas had hit him in the kitchen. As he worked now, he allowed his mind to wander. He wondered why he seemed much more conscious of Shego's presence in the lair than he ever had been before. Had he spent so long in the men's wing of the prison that he'd forgotten what it was like to have a woman around? Just as a mental exercise, he began cataloguing the things he had learned about Shego through the years of her employment.

She liked the occasional ice cream sundae but rarely indulged because she was almost obsessive about staying in shape. She enjoyed fighting and hated losing. She wasn't crazy about karaoke night but endured it anyway. She got easily bored, especially by board games and listening to him talk about his childhood. She liked being pampered at a good spa now and then and absolutely loved the beach. He would never understand her use of sun lamps; she never got any darker, as far as he could tell. You didn't see _him_ trying to tan his pale blue skin.

Shego treasured her freedom and independence. She enjoyed mocking people in general but appeared to derive special pleasure from goading him. Sometimes he even exaggerated his reactions to her teasing for her enhanced amusement. It didn't cost him anything, and it made her happy, so what was the harm?

She was often self-absorbed and mercenary, fairly typical traits for a villain. She also tended to be secretive and self-contained. He still found it hard to believe that she'd kept the fact of her superhero past from him for so long. She undoubtedly wanted to forget about it, but since Team Go was still out there, that seemed like it would be impossible. Anyway, it had been Drakken's experience that avoiding a topic only made it more deeply ingrained into you.

Then again, that was Shego. Where Drakken was demonstrably emotional, she remained on an even keel most of the time. Her anger would erupt now and then, but even that was carefully controlled. That must have been why the infamous "Day of the Moodulator" had been so difficult for her.

Drakken remembered that day with chagrin. He really should have realized earlier that something was having a strange effect upon Shego, and trying to find and remove the device while she was completely enraged with him was beyond unpleasant; it had been downright dangerous. However, he hadn't known there was such a thing as a Moodulator, so how was he supposed to understand what was going on? She'd avoided him for days afterward, and they'd never spoken about it since.

Not that the entire day had been bad. In fact, she'd been flirting with him outrageously for a large part of it. Admittedly, he'd been rather confused and frankly frightened when she started. He felt that reaction was understandable, considering that she'd been fluctuating between crying uncontrollably and trying to kill him just moments before. He conceded that it had been a pleasant change to have her actually complimenting him instead of mocking, and the kissing…yes, the kissing had been _very_ nice. Still, she hadn't really been Shego, which had unexpectedly put him off a bit. For all her faults, he liked her the way she was….

Drakken's thoughts broke off as he was struck by a blinding revelation so clear and simple that he had no doubts about its validity: he was in love with his sidekick. He could only stand there, stunned, as he attempted to find rationality in the inherently irrational. When had it happened? How? Why?

Naturally, it was while he was working through these weighty questions that Shego made her entrance, probably drawn by the smell of the spaghetti sauce.

"You should have gotten me up to help," she chided gently from behind him. Drakken started, banging the spoon he was using on the edge of the pan. This caused him to lose his grip on it, and it went spinning through the air, spattering tomato sauce across the kitchen. He was grateful that the mishap gave him an excuse to bend down and pick the spoon up, since he intended to use the time to compose himself. This would have worked a lot better, however, if Shego had not hurried to help him out, causing them to bonk heads as they both reached for the utensil.

"Shego!" Drakken snapped, rubbing his forehead and relinquishing the honor of retrieving the spoon. "I've already hit my head once this month! I'm not sure how much more I can take!" At least the event had snapped him out of his stupor and allowed him to return to a semblance of his usual demeanor.

"Sorry," she apologized, actually sounding sincere. Come to think of it, she'd seemed a little different since his injury. She was still essentially herself, but she was quieter and not so insulting. She'd also been far more solicitous of his welfare than she used to be. He must have looked even worse than he thought when she'd scraped him off the canyon floor almost two weeks ago. Either that, or something in their relationship had subtly changed.

She put the spoon in the sink and got a new one while he grabbed a damp rag and wiped up the floor and other affected surfaces, trying to quiet his churning thoughts.

He couldn't even begin to hope that she felt something remotely romantic towards him, of course. As he sneaked glances at her now, he realized the hopelessness of the situation. She was young and vibrant and capable. What could she possibly want with a middle-aged college dropout, even one who firmly believed he was destined to rule the world?

Fortunately, Drakken was very good at compartmentalizing things in his head. He would need to consider his thoughts and feelings about Shego, but it would have to wait.

"You looked like you needed the rest," he answered her initial comment as he returned to the stove to check on the meal. The pasta was nearly done, and he stirred it briefly. "Besides, I wanted to see how well I could function with this new cast."

"It looks like you're doing pretty well," Shego observed. She began to set out dishes and silverware, and soon enough, they were sitting down to eat. Although they rarely drank, Drakken found himself wishing that they had wine to go with the meal. On the other hand, _in vino veritas*_, as the saying went, and that might not be the best thing right now.

"I'm going to be checking on the construction of the new lair soon," Drakken announced. "That will allow you to have several half-days off over the next couple of weeks." Truly, having the federal government pay for constructing his new lair under the guise of a college had been a stroke of genius, even for him.

"Have I done something wrong?" demanded Shego, looking a little worried.

"What? No!" Her employer was quite surprised at her reaction. "You've been working so hard lately that I wanted to give you a break, that's all. You usually _like_ your alone time."

"My…right." She visibly relaxed, but Drakken remained mystified by her behavior. She was usually out the door before he'd even acknowledged that her vacation had begun, and now she was resisting taking time off? What was the matter with her? "When do I get to see the new place?"

"All in good time, Shego. It's…well, sort of a surprise." Honestly, he didn't know why he was being so secretive about this. Maybe things had been going so well between them that he just wasn't quite ready for her to begin tearing him down yet. After all, his next idea was not, technically speaking, one that would enable him to take over the world. It was really more of an interim step to make the world more manageable when he did take it over. Merging all of the continents into one would make travel and communications so much simpler. He was thinking of leaving out Antarctica, though. Really, what use was it? There was nothing there but snow, ice, a few scientists, and some colonies of penguins. Anyway, it would still be quite close to the tips of Africa and South America when everything was done.

The pair ate in silence for a little while, Shego feeling worried that Drakken didn't trust her, and Drakken trying to figure out how to start a new conversation. He was finding it hard not to be fixated on one thought.

_I love you_. A part of him wanted very much to say it. He was curious about what it would feel like, for one thing. He'd never said those words to a woman before. Except for his mother, of course, but that didn't count. He wanted to know if the concept would make more sense out loud than it did in his head. He also both wondered and feared what Shego's reaction might be.

He was not, however, either curious or brave enough to find out.

"So, I suppose we should draft up a new contract for you," he said finally.

"Actually, I've been thinking about that, and…I don't want one." Before Drakken could even fully formulate his reaction to this statement, she was plunging on. "It's not what you think," she added quickly. "It's not because I want an easy out or anything. It's sort of the opposite."

"I don't understand."

"Well, this is going to sound crazy." Shego looked down and stirred her food around with her fork. Drakken couldn't help smiling a little self-mockingly at that.

"Go ahead," he urged. "It can't be any crazier than some of the things I've been thinking today." She glanced at him curiously but continued.

"Okay, here goes. I don't want you to think that I'm just hanging around because of a piece of paper and a lawyer. I want you to know that I'm here because I want to be. I want you…" Shego paused and took a deep breath, "…to trust me." At last, she raised her green eyes to meet her employer's. He set down his fork and gaped at her. She seemed absolutely determined to shock him today. Her eyes actually conveyed something very close to pleading, and that was wrong. Shego didn't plead, even non-verbally.

"Are you ill?" he got out finally. He couldn't help it; he began searching her neck. She caught the direction of his gaze and got an irritated expression he was more familiar with.

"There's no behavior modification device on me," she snapped. "And I'm not sick. I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately."

When she didn't seem inclined to elaborate, Drakken decided to take her at her word and took a moment to ponder what she was asking. There was another half of her proposal, which she hadn't mentioned but that he saw clearly and assumed that she also recognized. In addition to him knowing she wanted to be with him, she would also know that he wanted her around. The new arrangement would provide them with more freedom, but it would give them more power over each other as well. On the other hand, without a contract of any kind, it would leave details like vacation or karaoke night completely up in the air. That wasn't like Shego, but he had to admit that she was still generally acting like herself, if a bit subdued.

"Let me see if I've got this straight," said Drakken slowly. "You wish to be an 'at-will' employee? I can dismiss you at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice? Similarly, you can leave at any time?"

"That's about the size of it," she agreed.

"It seems a little unstable," he mused. "Still, I suppose we can give it a try. If you're still here when I come back from my first oversight visit, then it just might work." Shego nodded, and the pair returned to their meal in silence.

"Good spaghetti," she complimented him awkwardly.

"Thank you," he responded, but his mind was already on other things. It was clear that something in their relationship _had_ changed.

If he only knew exactly what it was.

--

*For the younger readers, _in vino veritas_ is Latin for "In wine, there is truth." In other words, alcohol can loosen the tongue and make you speak truths you might otherwise have left unspoken.

Author's Note: Perhaps a little background would be useful at this juncture. My husband is 15 years older than I, approximately the same age difference as between Drakken and Shego, and we were married at about the ages they would have been in the third season, so I have a sort of special connection to this ship. I do use some of my own experiences to flesh out the development of their romance, especially from Drakken's side.

Review responses:

Katsumara: Sounds like something Ron would say.;) I suppose, if I were to write a lengthy, post-Graduation fic, it would also give me an excuse to pull Drakken and Shego in, wouldn't it?

saragil: Well, I'm glad you think so.

shadowgirl416: Thank you; getting into characters' heads is exactly what I try to do.

automaticloveletter: Thank you very much! I'm sorry that I don't have much Kim Possible fanfiction out there, but maybe you have an interest in some of the other fandoms for which I've written.

PoisonousAngel: I'm happy you're enjoying the inventions; I'm having fun coming up with them. I am a scientist (primarily trained in biology, but I also deal a lot with chemistry and geology), but not a mad one. At least, I don't think so.:)


	5. 5: Absence and Acceptance

Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible or have any claim to it.

Author's Note: Sadly, this is the last chapter, and it's a bit shorter than the last few. It ends just before the events of Clothes Minded. On a more positive note, I'm nearly done with a post-Graduation oneshot with this couple, so look for that to be published soon!

**Absence and Acceptance**

Dr. Drakken felt that he spent the next two weeks in a very profitable manner. Aside from checking the progress of his faux university and sitting for the sculpture that would grace the front entry, he was able to sort out his feelings for Shego. That was certainly much easier to do alone than when she was hovering over him.

First of all, he had both confirmed and accepted the fact that he loved her. He had also managed to answer some of his questions about this circumstance. He was still not certain when it had happened, but he suspected that the feeling had been building for quite some time. In some inexplicable way, his absence from her over the summer and early fall had solidified the emotion to the extent that it was readily identifiable soon after they were together again.

The how of the situation was not much of a mystery, as the closeness of their professional relationship made it almost impossible that they would _not_ develop some form of affection for one another. Drakken had never had this level of constant companionship with anyone not related to him, and the fact that she was a woman had undoubtedly led to the affection taking a romantic turn on his side of the equation.

Why he would have done such a ridiculous thing as fall in love with his most valued employee was a little more complicated. Most of the time, Shego was annoying and insubordinate, and it was only because she was extraordinarily good at her job that he'd kept her on so long.

At least, that was the reason he'd always given himself, but he couldn't help wondering now if he'd long had other motivations. Being in love with her certainly explained why he'd taken her back so readily after the Warmonga incident.

Truthfully, Shego did have her good points. She'd pulled Drakken out of danger or the hands of law enforcement more times than he could count, sometimes in situations where she could have made a clean getaway without him as extra baggage. Most recently, she'd dragged his unconscious and wounded body back to the demolished lair and patched him up.

He found himself going over that again and again in his mind, trying to work out her motivations every step of the way. He didn't for a moment believe that she'd told him the whole truth about that. Curiosity _might_ have been enough for her to pay her initial visit, but it couldn't have been adequate to make her come back after Warmonga had quite forcefully "shown her the door."

Drakken couldn't help but wince a little at the memory. He honestly had not meant for Shego to get thrown _through_ the door. It now occurred to him that Shego could have simply left at that point. Her curiosity had been satisfied, and she could have made her escape with little bruised but her pride.

Instead, she had returned to mix it up with the oversized alien, eventually getting the worst of the fight and winding up captured. What on earth could have prompted her to do that? He didn't think that her pride would have been enough to incite her to face such difficult odds, especially when there was nothing for her to gain by it. Was she really that jealous about being replaced? Or was there another layer here that she was hesitant to let him see?

In the end, he decided that it didn't matter. Even if, by some miracle, she held some feelings for him that went beyond their professional interaction, it was for her to say so. Drakken had several reasons for his reluctance to broach the matter himself.

First, he would be the first to admit that his track record with women was not exactly stellar. Oh, why mince words, it was absolutely abysmal! Therefore, he had no confidence in this area. Even the cloying and unattractive DNAmy had rejected him. Of course, he'd realized within about 24 hours that he'd probably dodged a bullet there. The adrenaline from his brush with death had undoubtedly caused him to suffer temporary insanity. Her obsession with cuteness and the color pink would have driven him crazy in short order, and he hated to think how Shego might have responded if DNAmy had taken to visiting frequently. He also suspected that a woman like Dr. Amy Hall would be extremely difficult to get rid of.

Second, one did not make the first move on someone like Shego, not if one wanted to keep all of one's internal organs where they belonged. It was all very well for her to invade _his_ personal space on a whim, but he knew better than to respond in kind without an invitation. That was just asking for bruising and scorching, at a minimum.

Third, if he knew her as well as he thought he did, she would remain in denial of her feelings (if she even had them, which remained a very large source of uncertainty) for quite some time. Until she was ready to admit an emotional attachment, it was pointless to openly pursue her. Aside from the dangers previously mentioned, it could make their entire relationship awkward. Even worse, she could decide to run away and disappear forever. Their new working arrangement made that much simpler for her, although he'd asked that she provide him with two weeks' notice, as a courtesy, if she did decide to leave.

For the present, then, he would rather have her close in a professional capacity than have her completely out of his life. Maybe he was just a bit masochistic that way, but he'd had years now to get used to being close to things that he wanted and not quite being able to reach them. Shego merely represented a new aspect to that, and Drakken found that he could adapt to the situation without too much trouble.

Shego, on the other hand, was not nearly as satisfied with her time alone. Unlike Drakken, she didn't find that being alone with her thoughts was either helpful or calming. The first time he'd left had been particularly difficult. For one thing, she couldn't ever remember him leaving her before (and she intensely disliked the fact that she was getting into the habit of thinking about him in relationship terms). _She_ was always the one that left, for her vacations or weekend outings or whatever. He was always here waiting when she got back. That was the way things had always been and, as far as she was concerned, the way they should be.

The other reason the first half-day was difficult was that Shego was afraid to go anywhere. For reasons she preferred not to examine, it was very important to her that Drakken begin to trust her, and that meant making sure she was there when he got back. Since the only way to be certain of that was not to leave, she was stuck hanging around the lair.

Despite her wide independent streak, Shego did not particularly like being by herself. Growing up with four brothers tended to make you used to having other people around, and as much as she hated to admit it, she occasionally missed the noise and chaos of her childhood home. Even on her time off, she typically chose populated places: spas, salons, beach resorts. To her, the best of all possible worlds was being surrounded by people she didn't have to interact with unless she wanted to.

On that first day, then, she worked out and took a long, hot bath, but that still left her with way too much time on her hands. She tried watching TV, reading a magazine, and taking a nap. By the time Dr. D arrived, looking pleasantly surprised to see her, she was a wreck. Naturally, she covered that by tossing off sharp comments as often as she could. Strangely, Drakken seemed reassured by her behavior and did not rise to the bait. Instead, he cheerfully went to the kitchen and, after putting fresh groceries in their proper places, went about making the evening meal.

Shego seated herself to watch him work, ready to offer assistance if necessary. It annoyed her that he seemed so happy after spending the entire afternoon away from her. She didn't know whether she would prefer to punch him or kiss him, and that only irritated her further. Being caught between two diametrically opposed reactions to a situation was extremely unfamiliar – and therefore uncomfortable – for her. She emitted a very unladylike growl.

"Is something wrong, Shego?" inquired Drakken mildly, pausing in his activity. Shego looked piercingly at him. His tone had sounded just a trifle too casual, too innocent, and besides, he _never_ asked her things like that. She couldn't help wondering if he knew he was driving her nuts and if he enjoyed doing that as much as she enjoyed annoying him. Now there was an interesting thought. Inexplicably, the possibility made her feel better.

"No, nothing's wrong," she asserted nonchalantly, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to her. Since he really didn't seem to care one way or the other, however, she couldn't call it a victory. Infuriating man!

The next few "holidays" went much better. It finally occurred to her that she could just leave a note if she decided to go out. Besides, she felt that she'd passed the first test, so she wasn't so jumpy about the ones that followed. Somewhat ironically, once Shego knew that she had the freedom to go somewhere as long as she left word, she felt less inclined to do so. In addition, Drakken appeared to take pity on her and assigned her a few errands during his absences. She was pathetically eager to have something to fill the empty hours.

During these days, she gave up trying to puzzle out her feelings for Dr. D and turned instead to trying to figure out how he felt about her. She realized that her own inclinations didn't matter much if he didn't feel the same way, and speculating about him provided a certain distance that she found much more comfortable than facing her own emotions.

When Shego thought back over their association, it was hard to know how Drakken viewed her. Over the years, there had been times when he'd displayed a sort of distracted affection, like preparing meals that she liked or covering her with that blanket the other day. Unfortunately, she had no way of assigning meaning to these things beyond what simple friendship might dictate.

He was not particularly protective of her, but then, she would have thought less of him if he had been. He had hired her primarily for her specialized fighting skills, after all, so it would have been ridiculous for him to try to interfere with her doing her job.

Reaching a dead end, she found that she had no choice but to again dredge up memories of the day when the Moodulator had influenced her. She didn't think he'd been completely resistant to her overtures. He had seemed a bit uncomfortable with the situation, certainly, but given her overall bizarre behavior at the time, that didn't really surprise her. On the other hand, she vaguely remembered having to threaten him to convince him take her out on the down, which wasn't promising.

Oddly enough, the clearest memory Shego had of the whole ordeal was when she'd tackled Drakken in the photo booth. He'd frozen up initially, but she was quite sure he was responsive after that, if a little tentative.

Then again, what did that prove, except that he was human? What lonely bachelor _wouldn't_ respond when a hot woman initiated a make-out session? For the first time in nearly a decade, purely physical attraction was not really what she was after, and she had no idea how to search for anything deeper.

Eventually, Shego gave up trying to think things through on her own and decided to observe him instead. Unfortunately, she didn't quite know what she was looking for. Having never been in what she would call a real relationship, she wasn't positive what the signs would be. She was starting to wish she'd paid more attention in college – not to the classes, but to the interactions among her fellow students. Certainly, she'd studied psychology, but her degree had focused on children. Although Drakken could be childish at times, he was grown man, and she doubted that conventional psychoanalytical techniques would be very effective on an evil mastermind in any case.

So the weeks passed with the pair of them circling one another like prizefighters at the beginning of a match, assessing strengths and searching for weaknesses. About four weeks after his injury, Drakken removed his cast, and Shego was surprised to find that the bone appeared to be completely mended. Only then did he reveal the capabilities he had built into his invention. At that point, plans for their removal and Drakken's next scheme picked up considerably. Dr. D fleshed out diagrams and prepared lists, and the two of them went together to "liberate" key things that he needed. Finally, he announced their moving day and gave each of them a set of tasks to accomplish.

On the day before the move, Shego was out late to steal a few small items while Drakken finished up most of the packing. When she returned to the lair, everything was quiet. Out of habit, she moved stealthily through the shadows, alert for any sign of danger. She slowly opened the door to his room and saw the lumpy shape on the bed. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the dimness and verified that the shape was moving in a regular breathing pattern. Satisfied, she was just about to exit when Drakken rolled over.

"Love you…Shego," he murmured in his sleep.

Shego froze to the spot, momentarily paralyzed by indecision. While this was information she'd been seeking for weeks, her impulse for much longer than that had been to flee when things like this happened, and she had to fight through that instinct in order to think clearly. What was she supposed to do? What should she say? How should she act?

Gradually, the panic receded, and her heartbeat and breathing patterns returned to normal. There was no need for her to do anything. Dr. D was fast asleep. He would have no recollection of having said those words, and he certainly wouldn't be aware that she'd heard them. This was, in fact, the best possible situation for Shego. She knew how he felt about her, but he didn't know how she felt about him. For that matter, neither did she.

Regardless, all of the power was in her hands now, which was exactly the way she liked it. She had time to figure things out, and she could address it when she was sure.

Allowing herself a moment of weakness, she crept to Drakken's side, bent over him, and pressed her lips briefly to his forehead. She then straightened, checked to make sure there was no mark to indicate what she'd done, and slipped silently out again. An uncharacteristically soft smile played over her lips as she shut the door.

Tomorrow, she would return to the comfort of denial.

_End_

--

Author's Note: Maybe it's just me, but I thought Shego seemed a bit softer toward Drakken for the rest of the season. She was still sarcastic, but she seemed to be trying more to irritate than wound him.

Review responses:

Katsumara: Hee hee, yes. I could see Drakken being more in tune with his emotions than Shego is with hers; do you agree? He seemed much less in denial in Graduation than she was. I think Clothes Minded was shown out of order, but it was the next episode to feature these two, so that's where I placed it.

saragil: That might not have been exactly the kiss you were hoping for, but look for my next oneshot, What Now?, which should be posted in the next few days. You may find it more satisfying.

shadowgirl416: Um, how could they both be teenagers if they're 7 years apart? Wouldn't one have been only 12 when the other was 19? I could see how that might have been a problem. So I'm confused about that, but these marriages do still happen occasionally, and I hope you enjoyed the end of the story.

Pinky Jo Curlytail: Thanks. I've been writing teen relationships for years, so it's a nice change to have a pair of adults I can actually relate to. Yeah, I could see Drakken intentionally getting upset because Shego enjoys it, so I had to throw it in there.

automaticloveletter: I completely agree that Drakken would figure things out first.

PoisonousAngel: Well, there are downsides to having an older husband when his body starts to break down much sooner than yours. Still, it works for us. Thanks for reading!

kriitiko: I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm sorry that it's over so soon, but this seemed like a good place to end it. I'm already almost done with a post-Graduation oneshot, and more might be coming later.

Spandy4Ever: Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked the Mardi Gras reference. I like to throw little things like that in to see if I can make people laugh. I've addressed most of the key points about "Mad Dogs and Aliens" already, so I hope you were able to enjoy the story anyway.


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